KYIV, Ukraine—Ukraine’s orphanages are full of children who should never have been taken from their parents, say nongovernmental organizations. Impoverished families often lose their children because their living conditions are deemed inadequate.
To keep their orphanages full, directors have even sent people to the countryside to convince families to give up their children, Ukraine’s children’s ombudsman Yuriy Pavlenko told Education of Ukraine on Nov. 20.
“We are not saying that child has to stay [in the family] when there is a threat or abuse for it,” says Vasylyna Dybaylo, director of Partnership 4 Every Child, “but if you can direct resources to support the family, it should be done.”
Her organization helps disadvantaged families keep their children at home. It often provides the families with a small amount of money so they can pay their gas or electricity debts, but it can also take other forms.
The gift of a cow kept one family together.
